Add Audio To Your Web Site And Increase Your Sales Up To 35

Writen by Teri Mramer

Ok, you've got your site built, you have traffic coming to it, a good product at a reasonable price.... hmmm... what else do you need?

What else could increase your conversion rate?

Audio!

All right I know what you're thinking... "Why should I go to all of the trouble of adding audio to my web site?"

Because it can increase your sales by up to 35%!! That's why.

Adding streaming audio it isn't as hard as you have been led to believe and you don't even have to pay a monthly fee either. You can start with sound recorder (Pre-installed on every Windows computer) and the free microphone that came with your computer.

Some of the things you can do with audio to enhance your site are:

* Create audio greetings

* Create audio testimonials

* Narrate tutorials

* Create audio ezines

* Add audio files for your visitors to download

* Create audio articles

* Add your band's music clips as tempting teasers to get buyers

* Read children's stories

* Tell Jokes

* Sing...

* Add music as a background to your web site (Tastefully - please!)

This list goes on and on.

Let's quickly cover a couple of the items on the list and see what the advantages are.

Create Audio Greetings:

Well, I think this one is fun. Don't you often wonder what that "Guru" sounds like? Or even what a web master who has created your favorite web tool or ebook?

Adding an audio greeting is actually about the easiest thing to do if you want to improve your sales. For most web sites, when done tastefully, the sales can jump up to 35%! People just trust you more and feel like they know you a little better if they hear your voice.

Also, excitement is contagious. If you are excited about your product, ezine or membership site you can hear it in your voice when you talk about it. SO CAN YOUR CUSTOMERS! And more importantly, your potential customers.

Audio Testimonials:

What can I say about this compelling reason, but this... what would be more believable to you - a web site with a bunch of written testimonials or a web site where you can hear the actual voices of current / previous purchasers explaining what benefits they got from the product? How do you even know for sure the written testimonials are real?

It's hands down the one with the audio.

All you need is Audacity (Which is free at http://audacity.com) to edit down too long testimonials - actually, is there such a thing as too-long testimonial? Maybe not - and the ability to have customers send you .wav files and a small picture of themselves.

NOTE: You can get a free script from Will Bontrager at http://willmaster.com that will allow you to accept files from your customers OR you can set up a seperate ftp account at your server for customer uploads. See other articles in this series to learn how to implement this.

Piece of cake!

There are a couple of other steps to adding the audio to your site, but I will get to that in other parts of this article series.

Create Audio Ezines:

Have you ever heard Jim Edwards "I Gotta Tell You" ezine? (http://igottatellyou.com) Or watched the multi-media ebook and ezine how-to tutorials in Epublishing Express? (http://epublishing-express.com)

It is so much more compelling to hear someone explain exactly what to do than read a dry ezine (No offense to all the other thousands of ezine writers out there) or ebook (Ditto to you ebook writers) and you learn much faster.

Did you know that you only retain about 10-15% of what you read once? But that retention goes up to 60% if you hear it at the same time and flies up to 80% for a multi-media presentation.

How many fewer customer service calls and emails would you get if you customers were retaining 80% of what you were teaching them? I can tell you... a lot!

Think of all the extra time you would have to promote your business, create new products (Audio and multimedia products of course!) Heck, even spend more time with your family and hobbies.

How much happier would your customers be if they were able to duplicate your success and complete your tutorials, assignments, or follow your direction?

Again - a lot! How many more of your customers would buy other products from you if you were successful in teaching them or helping them with your first product? I think you can see where I am going with this...

So, know that you know how important audio is how do you get started? The first thing you can do is go to http://easy-web-site-audio.com and sign up for the free Audio Tips Ecourse and get a new tip every three days on creative audio uses.

That's a good start :)

Remember those audio testimonials?

Here are some other free resources for all of you ebook and ezine writers to get you started: (Some long links may wrap)

Microsoft: http://microsoft.com (Free)

Additionally you can access lots of free content add-ons, tools, and tutorials when you go straight to the media section on the Microsoft web site.

Find it at Media Player v.9: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/default.aspx (Free) Here you can upgrade to Media Player 9 (To store all of your audio files you have made in the easy access audio library) which is free.

Media Player 9 is the preferred media player for listening to streaming audio along with Real Player which is also free.

There are a lot of add-ons for the program, especially you want to get the one that converts your MP3s into smaller WMA files and save space on your computer. (It is a free teaser, they will probably try to get you to buy the full Plus! collection, but you don't have to!).

Visit http://www.microsoft.com/plus for more information on the PLUS! product if you think in addition to converting audio you might want to let the kids play around with Media Player too. :)

Remember all that extra family time you are going to have since you won't have hardly any customer service issues?

Real: http://real.com (Free)

Get the Real Audio player basic program which allows you to play Real Audio formatted files. A lot of online content is in this format.

Don't forget if you are adding Real Audio to your web site to get the free "Producer" which converts other types of audio files (> wav and .MP3 for example) into Real Audio files for uploading, streaming, etc.

Producer Basic (Free): http://www.realnetworks.com/products/producer/basic.html

If you want to stream from your computer or server (Warning advanced topic!) you can use the free Helix Server Basic. Helix Server Basic (Free): http://forms.real.com/rnforms/products/servers/eval/mbps.html

Also use the free PresenterOne to add audio and video to your PowerPoint presentations and stream them from your web site! http://www.realnetworks.com/products/presenterone/index.html (main page) and the free version is at:

http://forms.real.com/rnforms/products/tools/presenteronebasic/in dex.html (Approx. 20mb) since it requires Producer (Real Audio product with a free version see above) it includes it in the installation.

So if you are thinking of enhancing your PowerPoint slides and are going to download this, you don't need to download Producer separately.

Shoutcast: http://shoutcast.com (Free)

Start your own radio station for free. And obviously link to it from your web site and broadcast tutorial and educational content on your niche topic. Free to record and free to broadcast.

Live365: http://www.live365.com (Fee)

You can also start your own radio station starting at only $7/month.

Pirate Radio: http://pirateradio.com (Fee)

Purchase software for $29 one-time fee that will having you broadcasting in about 1/2 hour.

Keep your eyes peeled for more audio/video/multi-media related articles in this series. We will be talking about different types of audio files, conducting interviews, recording tutorials, adding audio testimonials to your web site, and more. :)

By the time we're done you will be an audio / video master!

"Techie" Teri Mramer is the busy web master at TreeFree Publishing, The Editor of Epublishing Express- The only ezine that teaches ebook and ezine publishing with screenshots and videos! http://Epublishing-Express.com Also author of "Easy Web Site Audio!" The Easy Web Site Audio tutorial! e-Manual comes with 15 how-to videos. Add audio to your web site in about an hour! http://Easy-Web-Site-Audio.com

Streaming Audio Recorders

Writen by Ron Brown

1. i-Sound WMA MP3 Recorder 6.x - On Sale
www.abyssmedia.com

i-Sound Recorder turn your computer into complete audio recording studio. You can record sound from internal or external source into MP3, OGG, WMA, APE, WAV format sound file directly without costing any other disk space. With VOX feature program can become ideal solution for automatical digitizing LPs and Cassettes.

2.Handy MP3 Recorder 4.0 - On Sale
www.audio-recorder.biz

Handy MP3 Recorder is an award winning high-quality sound recording software for windows. It enables you capture any sounds of your PC into MP3 or WAV files quickly and easily! By using Handy MP3 Recorder you can record sounds from MIDI, Internet broadcasts, streaming media and your microphone.

3. Ease MP3 Recorder 3.6 - On Sale
www.audiotool.net

Ease MP3 Recorder Ease MP3 Recorder may record sound which are played through your sound card and any other sound sources like microphone, VCR, Audio tape player etc. You can use it to grab any sound including music, dialogs from movies, game sounds and etc from your local computer or the internet. Captured sounds can be saved in WAV or MP3 format, using real-time conversion (without creating temporary files). The program offers direct support for RealPlayer, Winamp, Windows Media Player , Power DVD, Flash, Quick time and many others.

4. Audio Record Wizard 3.99 - On Sale
www.nowsmart.com

Audio Record Wizard is a sound recorder software, which offers professional recording features with mp3 support. The audio recorder program is designed to work directly with your sound card, so it can record almost all audio from your sound card at near-perfect quality. So, you can record sound from a microphone, line-in, and just about any other programs (like winamp, realplay, windows media player). audio record wizard can also record directly to mp3 format if you choose, saving you valuable disk space.

Ron Brown sells audio recording software at http://www.best-mp3-recorder.com

Dvd Audio An Introduction

Writen by Robert Armstrong

DVD Audio is a music format that is designed to offer improved audio performance over CD. The new audio format can be used to provide listeners with Advanced Resolution stereo and/or multi-channel (up to a maximum of six channels) music. In order to play back DVD Audio discs, players have to be specially designed to support the format. So far, consumer electronics manufacturers have announced a range of DVD Audio players, including home decks, portable players and devices for cars.

DVD Audio has a sampling rate of up to 192kHz compared to a maximum of 44.1kHz for CD. It also supports resolutions of up to 24 bits, compared to 16bits on CD.

The idea behind DVD Audio is that it allows producers to give listeners a playback experience that is much more faithful to the original master recording that has been possible previously.

DVD Audio discs have a much higher capacity than CDs. This extra space can be used to provide audio at the highest possible quality or for longer recordings, or to provide additional material, such as information on the artist, photos and even video, all of which can be displayed on a television screen. Alternatively, DVD Audio discs currently on the market from the likes of the Warner group of labels have the audio content in both DVD Audio format and as Dolby Digital surround so that they can be played back on regular DVD players.

DVD Audio discs are navigable in the same way as DVD Video when played back on a player connected to a TV set. Users can select the required track from an on- screen menu and with an internet connection, can click on links to go to websites.

These dual format discs are a good way to kick-start the market while DVD Audio players are still relatively rare. The market will also be helped by combined DVD Video and Audio players.

Robert Armstrong is a contributor to The HDTV Tuner - a guide to the kit, the content and the issues related to HDTV.

Must Have Low Cost Streaming Audio Resources

Writen by Douglas Taylor

In order to be successful in putting streaming audio on your website you will need information. In this day and age there is more information available than ever before. Included below are some of the most valuable resources available as of this writing on recording on your computer and adding streaming audio to your website.

Audio Forum: I love this forum; there are lots of people here that are more than willing to help you out. I have always got good useful answers to my questions here.

Home Recording.com: This website has many resources to help you along in your home recording adventures. Spend some time looking around this site.

Harmony Central: This website is a haven for musicians and the recording enthusiast. There are reviews on most any sort of music or recording related equipment. I very seldom purchase any sort of gear without checking to see if anyone has posted a user review on the product. Lots of good stuff everywhere you turn on this website.

Musicians Friends: This is a store that specializes in mail order and Internet sales. Their prices are very reasonable and their service is first rate. I have never had a bad experience dealing with Musicians Friends.

Cd Baby: If you are a musician with a Cd to sell you need to check out CD Baby. This is one of the largest seller's of Independent music. The cost to put your Cd on this site to sell is almost too cheap to be believed. They do all the order handling and shipping for a small percentage of each sale plus a one time set up fee.

Mp3 postcard: This is a site that lets you upload your audio onto a digital postcard. They host the card for you and it is really easy to get your audio up and running. Dylan the guy that runs this site treated me very well with my dealings with him. The marketing information Dylan provides is really good stuff.

Create-Streaming-Audio.com: This site provides information on adding streaming audio onto your website. It includes reviews and tutorials as well as good general information.

Doug Taylor has been creating audio online since 1999. If you think that putting audio files on a website will be a lot of hard work and hassle then download a free 16 page special report Mastering Streaming Audio. Visit http://www.create-streaming-audio.com/csa_ezine.html for streaming audio tips, tricks, shortcuts, and techniques.

An Mp3 Download Trick That Works

Writen by Ron Hutton

You signed up for a teleseminar and ended up missing it. Dang!

But the hosts recorded it. Yah!

They sent you an email message that says "Go here now and listen to the call in its entirety. BUT the web link in the email message points direct to the MP3 file and your browser's protesting. Dang again.

The message you've received looks something like...

"You can download and listen to the call to find out our exact secrets. Go here now:

http://www.some-guru-site.com/teleseminar-recording.htm"

Have you ever attempted to use the "right-click / save as" convention on a link in an email message? It just don't work.

Why do marketers do this? Are they trying to make it difficult to download and pass an MP3 file around? Did they just have a lazy attack?

It doesn't matter why because you can get around this nuisance. It's really easy.

Do this:

(1) Open a new blank web page document using your favorite HTML editor.

(2) Go back to the email message and copy the web link that points to the MP3 file.

(3) Flip back over to your HTML editor, paste the link into the source code of your blank web page document and format it properly as you would any other target URL. Following this procedure, your link will have a formatting something like this (Note - the beginning and ending anchor tags here have an extra "."):

<.a href="http://www.some-guru-site.com/teleseminar-recording.htm">http://www.some-guru-site.com/teleseminar-recording.htm<./a>

(4) Now, still in your HTML editor, go to "Preview" mode. Your link is fully functional and now you can use the conventional "Right-Click / Save As" function to start the file download just as if the teleseminar host had sent you to a download page online.

That's it. That's all there is to our little MP3 file download trick. Save this article in your "sneaky computer tricks" file and next time you find yourself fighting with your web browser to access an MP3 audio file, it works slick as a snail trail.

Copyright 2005 Ron Hutton

Ron Hutton is a 20 year sales and marketing veteran with a passion for coaching and training. Go watch a free 3 minute video demonstration that puts this MP3 download trick into action. http://www.gothrive.com/free-video-library/video-directory.html While you're there, check out all of Ron's free video tutorials.

Creating A Winning Name For Your Internet Radio Show Or Podcast

Writen by Daniel Hall

Let me ask you something.

Do you judge whether you're going to invest time or money in something based on its name or title, at least, initially?

What about the title of a book, movie, television show, website, play?

Of course, you do. We all do.

That's one of the reasons you must choose the title of your Internet radio show or podcast with care. A creative, catchy title can significantly impact the number of people who take interest in your project and can serve as a powerful attractor to your programming.

What follows, consequently, are tips for picking a name or title for your show:

First, make sure that your title accurately describes the unique selling proposition (USP)of your show. In other words, what information (or benefits) is your show selling? Embody that in a title. For example, the name of my radio show, the "Secret Information Revealed Show" effectively communicates its USP which is as a purveyor of helpful little-known and highly-guarded information.

Second, to the extent possible, your show name should arouse curiosity. What does this mean? It should naturally trigger questions in the mind of your potential audience. The Secret Information Revealed Show is another great example of a name that accomplishes this. Arousing curiosity serves to draw your potential audience in – to give you and your show a try. But here's the rub: the name or title should also be suggestive of answers to the questions that the title brings to mind, hence my use of the word "REVEALED" in my show title.

Third, don't forget that your show is Internet based, consequently, when considering possible show names make sure that the domain name is available. Thus, come up with as many name alternatives as possible until you find one that is available. Further, in my opinion, you should always get a ".com" address versus any other extension. However, if you have come up with a killer name and its only available in ".net" go ahead and snag it.

Parting words: whatever name or show title you choose it should have but one aim, bringing in new audience. While your show content will determine who comes back for future shows, your show name will help hook them in the first instance.

Copyright 2006

Daniel Hall, is the host of the Internet radio show, Secret Information Revealed, where he interviews both well-known gurus and little-known masters and gets them to share their tricks of the trade so audience members can get ahead, make more money and live more abundant, loving lives. You can listen to the current show free by opting-in at http://www.SecretInformationRevealed.com/

Daniel is also author of the hugely popular and critically acclaimed e-book, "Speak on Cruise Ships: Eight Easy Steps to a Lifetime of Free Cruises" Get details and a free 6-part video e-course at http://www.SpeakersCruiseFree.com/

Daniel's newest project is his upcoming book (and future bestseller) "The Ultimate Guide to Second Chances: Legal Ways to Erase or Hide Your Criminal Background" Get the skinny at http://www.UltimateSecondChance.com/

Better Sounding Compressed Files Including Mp3s

Writen by John Robb

The first thing anyone learns about the MP3 audio format is that it is based on a lossy compression algorithm. Lossy compression means that in order to reduce the file size some of the original audio has been removed which inherently reduces the fidelity of the recording. How much data is removed during the compression process is a based on a combination of factors including user preference, portability requirements, available disk space, etc. In the case of an MP3 download the user little control over how much fidelity has been removed from the audio source.

In very simple terms the difference in fidelity can be demonstrated by removing letters from certain words in the following sentence. This is w_at a sentence wo_ld lo_k like if it was compres_ed usi_g a_ imaginary los_y compres_ion algorithm. It doesn't look very good but I'm sure you can make out the meaning. That's lossy compression; enough data is provided in order for you to understand the meaning even though some of the data is missing.

So how is one to get the fidelity back? The short answer is you can't or should I say couldn't, until now. There has been a breakthrough in thinking in how to describe audio wave patterns called the Sound Genome Theory. The Theory states that digital representation of sound is not just a series of recorded wave patterns but it is actually made up of "sound genes". Similar in concept to DNA a sound spectrogram is made up of discrete, discernable components that can be "sequenced" and "synthesized". This sequence of sound genes is what allows software based on the Sound Genome Theory to reconstruct the missing data from a lossy compressed audio file.

Passing our compressed sentence from above through an imaginary Fidelity Amplifier would give us a sentence that looks something like this: This is w_at a sentence would look like if it was compressed usi_g an imaginary lossy compression algorithm. As you can see increased fidelity produces a much more pleasing and accurate representation of the original.

The interesting thing about the Sound Genome Theory is that it can also be used to compress audio. Software that is based on the theory can achieve compression comparable or better than today's popular lossy compression algorithms yet still maintain the recorded fidelity. The software can also be used on existing MP3s in order to achieve incremental lossless data reduction. Using software based on the Theory will lower the actual file size or bit rate without loosing fidelity of the original recording.

Software based on the Sound Genome Theory is starting to leave the lab now and is available both for playback of streaming and downloaded audio and as a way to losslessly compress digital audio. At this point in its evolution the software is available for use on Windows based PCs. Future versions of the software are destined for portable devices as well as other platforms.

Sound Genetics is based out of the high Technology Triangle from Waterloo Ontario. To start they have released two products based on the Sound Genome Theory that are available for download: Fidelity Amplifier and Sound Slimmer

Improve Your Computer Performance For Audio Recording

Writen by Douglas Taylor

Audio is hard on your computer taxing its resources. Although this is not as big a problem as it was when we were recording on a Pentium 400 it still makes sense to practice good habits when it comes to your computer hard drive. Here are some tips to speed your audio up.

Separate Audio Hard Drive: If you can afford it a drive reserved just for audio will make things much easier on you. Only audio files are to be stored on this second drive.

Keep Your Drives Clean: Keep the junk off of your hard drive. Any excess programs will slow your system resources that could be used for things like plug ins and more tracks. Check your task bar and see what programs are running in the background such as your anti-virus or messenger service.

Minimize: Turn off as many things as you can although make sure you are not connected to the Internet when disabling your anti-virus.

Back Up: Always back your computer up on a regular basis. Make this a habit like clockwork or else your hard drive will crash at the worst time possible. Don't ask me how I know this.

Defrag: Defragging your computer once a week will speed everything up. Your files tend to get jumbled up when stored on your hard drive and defragging tends to sort things out for you.

Format: I like to format my hard drives a least once a year although I probably do so a couple times a year. Things slow down as time goes by and formatting is on e of the best speed recovers I have found. A new clean drive always seems to speed up a lot.

Number Of Plugins: Plugins are one of the most taxing things you can do to your computer. When you are recording always use as few as possible turning off anything that is not vital. Add them back in during playback if you need them.

Number Of Tracks: Likewise watch the number of tracks you are using. The more tracks you use the harder your computer has to work. Only use as many as you have to have. You probably do not need 17 back up harmony parts.

If you follow these tips and use your head you will be recording audio better than you ever have before.

Doug Taylor has been creating audio online since 1999. If you think that putting audio files on a website will be a lot of hard work and hassle then download a free 16 page special report Mastering Streaming Audio. Visit http://www.create-streaming-audio.com/csa_ezine.html for streaming audio tips, tricks, shortcuts, and techniques.

Alternatives To Mp3

Writen by Hans Dekker

Although MP3 is the most popular format for encoding music, it is by no means the only one. There are two basic methods for compressing audio – lossless and lossy, and for each of these methods there are many formats.

Lossless compression means that none of the audio data is removed during compression. Lossy compression means that audio data is permanently removed from the audio file. Lossy compression results in smaller files, but there is no way to rebuild the audio data to its original format. MP3 is an example of lossy compression.

Lossy Compression Formats

There are many alternatives to MP3 when it comes to encoding audio files. Microsoft reportedly developed the WMA format to avoid the licensing costs associated with MP3. WMA files can be played with the Windows Media Player that is included with the Windows operating system as well as many other audio players. It features similar encoding rates to MP3 and similar file sizes.

AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) is the format preferred by Apple and is used for its popular iTunes and iPod products. AAC files can be smaller than MP3 files because it uses more efficient encoding technology. A 96 kpbs AAC file is similar in sound quality to a 128 kbps MP3 file.

Ogg Vorbis is another type of lossy compression and uses .OGG as the file extension. It is an open-source product and unlike MP3, there are no patent restrictions on its use.

Lossless Compression

For the audio purist who insists on the best quality sound possible, lossless compression offers CD quality sound. The tradeoff is larger files sizes – while MP3 can compress audio in the range of 80% - 90%, lossless compression typically compresses the file by half.

Popular lossless formats include FLAC, Monkey's Audio, and SHN (Shorten). These formats are supported by many audio players and are popular for archiving CD collections as well as for trading music.

You are free to publish the above article in your ezine or website, provided the credit is given to the author and a hyperlink (HTML clickable) is given the author.

Hans is editor of http://www.selected-audio-reviews.com

Choosing The Right Software Recording Program

Writen by Douglas Taylor

There are a lot of different choices you can make when choosing a recording program for your computer. You need to pick a software program that has the features you need. Most software comes in several different grades starting with some sort of light version on up the ladder until you get to the full-blown professional version.

I bought a soundcard one time that had lite versions of a couple of the most popular programs available. Since I normally record by myself or with one other person my needs are modest. I still use these programs today.

We will look at a few of the most popular computer recording software programs and look at the differences in each one.

Sonar: this is the program I started with back about 98 or 99. It was called Cakewalk back then. It was and still is a great program. It is a full featured professional program cable of doing work on any level. The latest versions of the programs have all the features you will likely need.

Cubase: This program is manufactured by Steinberg and is one of the more popular audio and midi recording software there is. It comes in different varieties stating with Cubase LE all the way to Cubase SX. It works on both Windows and Macs and has a great look and feel to it. When you open the program you can see a lot of thought went into its design.

Acid: this program takes a little different approach to the way things are done. Acid uses loops to make your music, which are recorded snippets of music. You can find loop libraries all over the Internet so this can be a good way to get your music up and going without having to play all the instruments yourself. The software starts out with a free version called Acid Express. The next step up is Acid Music Studio. This has many more features than the free version. Last up is Acid Pro with all the features you could need. This is a great way to make music. Download the free version and give it a try.

All of these programs have web sites, many which have demo versions of the software for you to try out. Explore each one and try out the demos to see which program fits your working style.

Doug Taylor has been creating audio online since 1999. If you think that putting audio files on a website will be a lot of hard work and hassle then download a free 16 page special report Mastering Streaming Audio. Visit http://www.create-streaming-audio.com/csa_ezine.html for streaming audio tips, tricks, shortcuts, and techniques.

Capturing Video And Audio Streams Howto

Writen by John Deprice

Streaming media is taking the Internet over - online radio, news, digital videos, podcasts, webcasts are just going to grow. Find out what tools you need to capture streaming audio and video so you can replay it later.

CoCSoft Stream Down (CoCSoft)

Like the proverbial hedgehog, CoCSoft Stream Down knows one thing well: in this case, how to capture streaming-media files and save them to disk. Just enter the URL of a streaming-media file and the program stores the content in the directory of your choice. In addition to FTP and HTTP, CoCSoft Stream Down can handle several streaming protocols: RTSP, MMS, MMSU, and MMST. It comes in handy during peak Internet usage times, when streaming files don't play well. You can download them, and play them later. If you don't know the file name, you can easily copy and paste it into Streamdown using the Windows "File Properties" command.

WM Recorder (Applain)

WM Recorder is a fairly straightforward way to capture streaming Windows Media Video or Audio content to a file on your PC. It's just what the doctor ordered for music videos, news feeds, streaming music, radio broadcasts, adult and subscription content, corporate webcasts, and anything else that streams down onto your PC. WM Recorder is also brainlessly simple. Simply open WM Recorder, click Record, and play the video or audio you want to capture. Files are saved on your PC automatically, so you can watch or listen anytime, even without an internet connection.

AudioStreamer (R.M. de Boer Software)

AudioStreamer is the Internet radio receiver and recorder that lets you enjoy the thousands of radio stations available on the Internet. While listening to your favorite radio station, you can record any radio station you want, anytime. The recording library shows you all your recordings, sorted by Genre or Radio station. If there's any artist name available while recording, it will be saved into the MP3 Tag automatically. You can also rename file(s), change or view MP3 Tag info for every file, or play the files you recorded earlier as well as add your favorite station to the Favorites list, or add a new station you found on the Internet. If necessary, the program will burn mp3 files onto a CD.

Cybercorder 2000 (SkyHawk Technologies)

Cybercorder provides VCR-like recording for radio shows or any audio input. Recordings are stored on disk as WAV or MP3 files with optional audio compression to save disk space. Recordings can easily be played back by selecting the recording from the list of completed recordings. The customizable playback window allows users to easily advance the recording forward and reverse various step sizes. The thing that makes this software very different is the fact that you can schedule as many recordings as you like or instantly start a recording for the specified amount of time. The scheduled recordings can be scheduled for a single time or for selected days of the week such as Mon-Fri 9AM. Program descriptions can be given to the scheduled recordings to later identify the recordings.

Download Links:

CoCSoft Stream Down http://www.deprice.com/cocsoftstreamdown.htm
WM Recorder http://www.deprice.com/wmrecorder.htm
AudioStreamer http://www.deprice.com/audiostreamer.htm
Cybercorder 2000 http://www.deprice.com/cybercorder.htm

John Deprice is a big fan of streaming tools. To find out what software he uses, visit http://www.deprice.com/audio.htm

How To Add Audio To Video

Writen by Hans Dekker

Digital media is everywhere you look. Music and video production have made it to the grass roots level thanks to the affordability and widespread use of powerful computers.

Inexpensive digital video cameras are widely available, and older analog video cameras can be connected to a computer through a video card to download movies to the computer for editing, storage, and distribution to friends and relatives over the internet.

It has become fairly easy to edit your own videos, and there are many software packages available aimed at the amateur. The Windows operating system has its own video editing package called Windows Movie Maker that allows you to produce professional-looking videos.

As you explore this exciting new world, you will inevitably come up with the need to edit the audio portion of your video file. The sound quality of most video cameras is not great, so you may want to process the sound or replace it all together with music or voice-overs.

It is very easy to separate the audio from the video. Free software packages that do this task include Windows Media Encoder from Microsoft (if you are working with WMV video files) and VirtualDub (if you are working with AVI files). Either of these programs (and many others) allow you to save the audio portion of video file quickly and easily. Once you have your audio file, you can process it for noise reduction, bring up the volume, add music or do any digital magic to it that you desire.

With many video editing packages, however, it isn't necessary to split the audio to a separate file. Even simple packages like Windows Movie Maker have basic audio editing functions, and you can add separate music or voice tracks and mix all of them together.

If you have a particular audio file that you would like to use in your video (maybe a special effect or a voice over that you have recorded separately) simply add that file to the list of media to be included in the video. Other media formats can be separate video files, picture files or graphics.

The audio file can be placed anywhere on the time-line, and you can use the same file many times without requiring any extra storage space on your computer. For precise placement, zoom all the way into your timeline and place the audio exactly in sync with the video. That's it! You are well on your way to making professional-looking videos!

Hans is editor of the Audio Howto Section of the http://www.selected-audio-reviews.com/

The Best Internet Marketing Product To Sell

Writen by Michael Senoff

The one single task that takes up 90% of my work day is interviewing various different experts in business. And without a doubt one of the best interviews I was lucky enough to get was with Vic Conant of the legendary Nightingale Conant company.

What made this one so special? Because he revealed a very powerful piece of information anyone wanting to sell online can use.

He said the whole foundation of his company is that the audio format is so convenient and that's what's made his company so successful. ??In other words, you can listen to audio and you can take it anywhere. You don't need 100% concentration like video does where you've got to make the time and effort to sit down and watch it.

People like that freedom. People like to be able to be able to absorb the information they pay money for anywhere they want -- in the car, on the couch, in the kitchen while making dinner or even in the bathroom while taking a shower. You cannot do this with a book, a video or a seminar.

Only with audio.

Now, that's not to say videos and books are bad products. But audio is ideal for the Internet for many different businesses and in many different circumstances.

Especially since it's quick and easy to make (anyone can record a phone call and edit audio with free software), it downloads fairly quickly and it has a high perceived value.

Bottom line:

If you sell online, consider adding audio products to your line. It will be one of the best and most profitable decisions you will ever make.

Michael Senoff is a sought-after Internet marketer, interviewer and business coach with more than 50,000 students on four continents. He is also an expert on showing people how to create their own high ticket information products from scratch using just your telephone. For a 100% FREE REPORT that reveals how you can take your own ordinary book, e-book or even a concept and turn it into a information product you can sell for up to $3,900 or more go to: http://hardtofindseminars.com/Audio_Marketing_Service.htm

Change Your Voice Digitally

Writen by Louise Anderson

Most of us may have the idea of disguising our voice once in a while for some purpose, especially small kids. Today, a wide range of voice changing tools are developed, both for kids and business purposes. Simple ones are masks for kids that can change voice to some other voices, and a small box used for mobile phones which can switch among 4-6 voices or so.

Digital voice changers make a great step further. Any voice or sound that goes through a computer can be changed dramatically thanks to the voice changing software, i.e. voice chat, IP phoning, computer recording, music playing, internet streaming,… There are more great possibilities you might want to discover:

Change voice freely by adjusting voice values. Some voice changing software can change voice by adjusting voice pitch rather than choosing among a limited number of voices. Voice Changer Software (www.audio4fun.com) provides more adjusting possibilities: voice pitch, voice timbre, and voice frequency.

Change voice in real time. Perhaps the coolest function of voice changer software is that it can change voice right a way. Speak to the microphone and you may laugh the first time hearing your strange voice. Chat addicts now can have tons of fun: they can disguise themselves in voice chat.

Change any audio that goes through the computer. If you want to change voice or audio that is played or recorded from an audio device, say, a CD/DVD/karaoke machine, then all you need to do is to get it lined in to your computer and voice changer software will do its part.

Fake identity? So far Avnex, the author company of Voice Changer Software, claims this possibility as an advanced achievement in voice manipulation, although there are still many different opinions on the morality of its applications. So if you can fake someone's voice, what do you think you would do with it?

Louise Anderson is the Marketing Associate of http://www.Audio4fun.com She works on customer-based market research, product development, and relationship management. Contact her at media@audio4fun.com

7 Ways To Use Audio To Increase Your Web And Email Sales

Writen by Alexandria K. Brown

Thought about adding audio to your Web site yet? You should. While great copy does a good job of selling your services and products, audio will amplify the effect of your words.

Audio gives you a more personal connection with your Web visitors. Social psychologists tell us that humans are more likely to trust you if they can both see you and hear you. And prospects are more likely to buy from those whom they feel they know, like, and trust.

So let's think about how you can build that instant rapport with your prospects.

What Could YOU Do With Audio?

There are unlimited possibilities of what can be done with audio on Web sites and in e-mail, but here are seven simple ideas to get you started.

1. Greet Your Homepage Visitors.
Welcome first-time visitors to your Web site with your own voice. It's a much warmer welcome than text alone.

2. Create a Series of Audio Lessons.
Audio learning is hot! Teach your audience via your voice instead of just words on the page. Think about developing a series of mini-audio lessons for your prospects.

3. Share Your Interviews.
If you don't have an interview clip already, ask a friend or colleague to conduct a short, dynamic interview with you via phone. Record it and post it at your Web site. Or, do a series of interviews with other experts in your field and post them at your site to be listened to.

4. Samples of Teleseminars.
Want more signups for your free and/or paid teleseminars? Then start recording them. Pull out the highlights and post free clips of them at your Web site.

5. Pump Up Your Testimonials.
You probably already have customer testimonials on your site. Now amplify their impact with audio. Have your customers record their testimonials in their own voices, and post them on your site along with their names and photos.

6. Make Your E-mails and E-zines Talk.
Liven up your e-mails by making them talk to your prospects, subscribers, and customers. The members on your lists will feel like you are right there with them. (And remember, it will be that personal connection that encourages people to hire you or buy your products.) Be the first in your industry to do this, and watch your numbers rise!

7. Audio Postcards.
Reach out to your best customers and prospects for holidays, birthdays, or other special occasions by sending them an e-mail "postcard" accompanied with a personally recorded message.

So What's the EASIEST Way to Post Audio?

In the past, adding audio to your site wasn't that easy. You had to either spend hours learning how to do it yourself, or pay someone else to record it and host it for you. That's why I was never interested in audio before. I may be the E-zine Queen, but no way am I a techie queen. In fact, my VCR still blinks "12:00 ... 12:00 ... 12:00."

Here's the good news: There's a brand new program that makes recording and posting audio ridiculously easy. It's called Audio Generator and was created by Armand Morin, the same guy who created PopUp Generator and a slew of other innovative "Generator" products. I signed up immediately after he debuted this at the System 3 Seminar in Ohio a few weeks ago.

Here's an example of how easy Audio Generator is: Say you want to add an audio greeting to your site this afternoon. Just call Audio Generator's toll-free hot line and record your message. Then, as soon as you hang up the phone, go log into their site. Ta da ... your message is ready and waiting, with a line of HTML code for you to copy and paste on your home page.

That's it!

Even better, you can do this an unlimited number of times and have unlimited clips on your site (or multiple sites). You can also upload digital audio files up to 30 minutes in length, which I'm going to do for samples of my teleclasses.

Click here to get the full story, and see (and hear) The E-zine Queen's own audio testimonial at the Audio Generator site.

Remember, It's That Personal Connection That Matters

Take some time today to think about what YOU could do with audio at your site and in your e-mails to increase rapport with your visitors. Then choose at least one tactic to implement this month. It could be the best addition you've made to your online marketing efforts this year.

(c) 2003 Alexandria K. Brown

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alexandria K. Brown, "The E-zine Queen," is author of the award-winning manual, "Boost Business With Your Own E-zine." To learn more about her book and sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit her site at http://EzineQueenTutorial.com/

Audio Marketing Comes Of Age Educate First And Sales Will Follow

Writen by Bill Platt

"Podcasting" is one of the newest and most popular marketing formats that have taken a strong foothold on the internet over the last several months. The word "podcasting" is actually a derivative of Apple's "iPod" and "broadcasting". It actually refers to the ability of RSS 2.0 to automatically deliver audio and video files over the internet by subscription.

Often times, podcasts are actually delivered via MP3 files that can be played from an iPod, a MP3 player, or a home computer. You can learn more about this technology here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting
http://www.ipodder.org/whatIsPodcasting
http://www.itgarage.com/node/462

Ironically, a couple months ago, I had done a telephone interview. All of the people listening to the show dialed up into a remotely hosted phone bank to listen to the show. Although that program was delivered through a standard telephone system, a few listeners who later contacted me had said that he heard my "podcast". It seems a lot of people automatically applied that term to the phone interview, although the interview was not available in a computer format or even accessible from a computer.

A BIG FAN OF TALK TELEVISION AND RADIO

I have always been a huge fan of talk radio and talk shows. I still am.

When my wife is not in the room, I listen to lots of educational television and political talk shows. When my wife is not in the car, I primarily listen to AM radio. My primary focus in the car is politics and news, unless it is late at night and then it is Art Bell I listen to the most.

Of course, my wife hates that kind of thing, so that is why I only listen to it when she is not around and when she is asleep. I would rather enjoy the show than to listen to her nag about why I listen to that "crap". ;-)

LOOKING TO THE HORIZON

I have always felt that there would be a place in internet marketing for content delivered via an audio format.

Back in early 2000, I had explored the possibility of bringing some of my own content to the internet in a streaming audio format. Unfortunately, at that time, I really did not have the time or resources to seriously pursue the idea. I was forced to shelf the idea in 2000, because of the high cost of the bandwidth required for delivery of streaming audio programming via the internet.

By the end of 2004, "podcasting" had come of age, and marketers the world over were offering audio formatted business information online. I guess that five years ago, I was just a bit ahead of the curve.

AUDIO PROGRAMMING IS STILL A GOOD SELL

Like I mentioned before, a couple of months ago, I had done a live telephone interview with a mentoring program, and we had several hundred listeners to the program. From that one interview, I managed to pick up a couple of thousand in new business and several new and regular clients, and that was a really small listening audience.

All I can say about that event is that it sold me on the idea of using audio programming to sell my online services.

SOME PRODUCTS AND SERVICES CANNOT BE SOLD DOOR-TO-DOOR

I am in a unique business. Often times when I speak with people, who are not running an online business, they will ask me what it is that I do exactly. Here is where the challenge enters the equation.

You may have never logged onto the internet or you may be a regular internet user, but if you are not engaged in the business of selling goods and services online, you may not understand my service. I can't tell you how often I talk to non-marketers and get a blank stare when I try to explain my business to them. Even my wife's aunt and uncle get the "deer in the headlights look" when I try to explain to them the nature of my business. He runs a successful offline business, but it does not bring him any closer to an understanding of my business model.

Many of you who know me, understand precisely what it is that I do and can understand why I make a good living doing it. You can understand the value offered to my clients through my business model.

Those of you who don't know me do need to understand a bit more about me before I continue.

At this very moment, you are either looking at someone's website or reading their online newsletter, and you are reading this article that I have made available for free to publishers and webmasters.

In this article, it is my goal first to educate you about something of interest to "you". My hope is that when you get to the end of the article, you will be quite taken with me, and you will want to know more about me. Then, when you read the About the Author information at the bottom of this article, and you will visit my website and review my products and services with interest.

That makes sense, right? You have come farther than most people I talk to about my business model.

With my primary service, I am the "go-to man" for getting your articles delivered to the highest numbers of publishers and webmasters who are interested in finding content that they can use with their ezines and websites.

EDUCATE FIRST, AND SALES WILL FOLLOW

When using free-reprint articles to market your online business, you are often more successful in getting your article reprinted and in getting traffic to your website, if you take the attitude of educating your reader above all else. If you get lost on the idea that you are using this promotion method to promote your business, then you will have missed the key to your success.

Remember what I said above, "it is my goal first to educate you about something of interest to you." You are the reader, and you will only be willing to read what I have written, if I am providing information to you that is of interest to "you".

Many marketers make the mistake of thinking their article is intended to sell their products or services, instead of themselves.

When you are willing to address the concerns of the reader above all else, then you will have provided a service of value to your reader. In doing so, you sell your reader on "you". And, your About the Author information serves as the teaser/lead/ad to take your reader to your website, where you will get the chance to sell your reader on your business, products and services.

Educate your reader first, and sales will follow.

This system works for hundreds of my clients and for myself.

THE LONG FORM, PERSONAL, INTERVIEW

When most people think about radio advertising, they think about 30-second and 60-second ads. This is fine for people who sells cars, hot tubs, groceries, and other products that are already well-understood by the listening audience.

But, if your business were like mine --- difficult for the average person to understand, then a 30- or 60-second radio spot would be a total waste of your advertising budget!

On the other hand, it would be different if I could get 15, 30 or 60 minutes to explain to my listeners what my business is and how it would be beneficial for the listener to use it for the promotion of their own business, then I would have a good chance of getting my listener's business.

In my phone interview, we actually spent one hour and twenty minutes talking, and that interview generated a couple thousand dollars in new business. It was the most profitable one hour and twenty minutes I had ever spent.

Can you imagine how much more business I would have picked up if the audience were coast-to-coast, and I was reaching hundreds of thousands of listeners instead of hundreds of listeners? And, can you imagine how much more business I could have generated from that interview, if it had been simulcast live on the internet and archived in MP3 format for me to make available later to visitors to my website?

I can imagine... That is why I got so excited when I was able to strike a deal with a nationally known, radio personality to make this kind of service available to my clients. To learn more about this opportunity to promote your business through a nationally syndicated, business radio talk show, using the long form interview, then continue reading here: http://thephantomwriters.com/redir/radio

Copyright Bill Platt - All Rights Reserved. Reprints allowed with article and resource box unedited. If you post this article on a website, you must set the links up as hyperlinks.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Bill Platt is the owner of http://www.LinksAndTraffic.com

• When you are tired of the struggle of the link building process, it might be time to consider our "Links And Traffic" services.

• When you are ready to employ more Natural Linking Strategies in increasing your link popularity, "Links And Traffic" can help.

• When you are ready for your links to actually generate click-through traffic, we are here.

This is not a link rental system or a reciprocal linking scam. We Guarantee our results.

Hurricanes And Audio Internet Streaming

Writen by Lance Winslow

Have you consider adding audio Internet streaming to your web site? What kinds of sounds might you put on your web site to entertain your web site visitors? There are all kinds of things no doubt, which are part of your industry or perhaps famous quotes, which might fit nicely in the context of your web site and go along with the venue.

One thing that people tend to like it is hurricane winds and you can usually pick up a sound bite or two on the Internet for free. It is quite simple you can cut and paste the sound bite and look for commonality on the sound waves so that you can find a place to loop it so it does not take up too much space or cause problems with Internet users who wish to listen to it.

It appears that during the 2005 Atlantic tropical hurricane season that Internet users searched the word; Hurricane; more than any other word on Google. And if that means that people will come to your web site and listen to be hurricane audio Internet streaming if you put it up. This is good to know and it might be something that is very interesting to what is going on in the world and something that will be enjoyable for the Internet users to which visits your site. It is really easy to do and it does not take up too much space and you can loop a little sequence and everyone will love it. Consider this in 2006.

Lance Winslow

Web Coach Tip Top 7 Ways To Spice Up Your Web Sites Audio Greetings

Writen by Donna Payne

So the audio greeting craze has finally caught on. How can you make your website stand above the rest? Pump up the volume of your audio, of course!

Folks have found many different ways to utilize this cool feature, here are a few you can try:

1) Be sure to add a little excitement and sparkle to the tone of your voice. Pretend you're telling your best friend about a juicy piece of gossip. (I especially like my tone when I talk about things I LOVE like my kids, or my business) Don't worry about sounding "hyped" or "salesy". Remember to SMILE while you speak – you can "see" it when you listen. Practice in front of a mirror – don't worry, nobody's looking!

2) Greeting. For example, this is your Career Coach Mickey Mouse… thanks for stopping by…(Tell them what to do)… "Be sure to get your free personality type quiz, the signup is on the upper right hand corner of this webpage. You'll be surprised at what you can learn about yourself!"

3) Product or Service Review. Tell a customer you would like to feature them on your website with a testimonial about one of your products they've purchased. Customers love to see their name in lights!

4) Product or Service Description & features. You know as well as I do that no one really reads EVERY single word of your copy. However; you can add extra punch with an audio sample, excerpt, or description. Folks on Ebay have increased their profits significantly by adding audio to their auctions.

5) Personalization. If your business has different departments, have each department head record a short greeting for that dept's page. "Hello there, this is Bob Evans; head of shipping and receiving. If you need to contact my department please call yadda-yadda, or email me right away. I aim to exceed your expectations with my world class service."

6) Assessment/Questionnaire pages. A smart web marketer will have a questionnaire for potential clients to fill out before contacting them for consulting, coaching or whatever. A sample question written on your form might be "What is your greatest challenge right now?" You can easily have an audio button asking the question again in gently probing manner or in a different way to get your prospect to give you more detail.

7) Don't forget your Thank you pages. You work your butt off to get the sale – don't blow it! Use audio to re-affirm your customer's decision to do business with you. Thank them for making a wise decision that will significantly improve their problem, make life easier, or give them great joy.

By implementing these simple strategies, you'll be sure to make a mark on your customer and be remembered and REWARDED!

Copyright 2006 TheWebCoach.net

Donna Payne is the Creator of the Money & Time-Saving "QuickStart Web Workbook" and builds websites for solo-professionals and corporate entities. To learn techniques that everyone should know when working with a web designer, download your FREE copy now at http://thewebcoach.net

Audio Book Myths Or The Audio Book Phobic People

Writen by Paton Jackson

Audio books are becoming more and more popular. Yet, there are a lot of individual people that are afraid of trying audio books – they are the "audio book phobic" people.

I have interviewed some of them recently and collected the so called reasons that separate them from the audio book world. I have proven to each one of them that those reasons are only myths and even succeeded in persuading some of them to try those threatening audio books. Here are the main myths I have encountered:

1. I believe audio books are expensive – wrong. In fact, there are free downloadable audio books online. Audio books on mp3 files are usually cheaper than the same title in its book version. Audio book on Cd and books on tape could cost more but are still not expensive.

2. I think that audio books will never be a good substitute for the "real" books – Right. Audio books' publishers do not see audio books as potential books substitutes. They are only an extension for the book concept. You can learn foreign languages or learn history by listening to audio books – You will enjoy it more this way than reading a book about it. Audio books are intended for the times of the day when you can not read books.

3. I have no time to listen to audio books – Wrong. Most of the people listen to audio books driving, cleaning the house, jogging etc. You can not read books in these times. Did you know that the average annual delay due to traffic congestion has more than tripled since 1982 and that More than 19 million commuters travel more than 45 minutes each way to their jobs. In fact, More than 97 million workers drive alone to work each day;

To sum up, to all of you "audio book phobic" people who claim they can not afford audio books. Listen to me; you can not afford not listening to audio books.

Paton Jackson is the head of 911 corp. We have made a comprehensive research about audio books. Let us share with you our finding – the best audio books sources, titles and much more audio book information only on Audio book rental, free audio books and more. The audio book bible.

Transmit Clean Digital Audio With Digital Coaxial Cables

Writen by Jon Martin

In the world of digital audio, there are two types of cable to choose from; optical cables which use light to transmit signal and digital coaxial cable. These audio cables will enable your home theater system to transmit digital data between components. This will provide you with superior sound quality over typical RCA audio cables.

How Digital Coaxial Cable Works

Digital coaxial cables employ the same principles as other coaxial cables. The inner conducting layer is surrounded by an outer conductor as well as the rubbery insulating layer outside the cable. The digital signal is sent through the inner conductor as it travels between components. During the course of its transmission, the signal routinely comes in contact with the outer conductor. The outer conductive layer is created with materials that act as a reflector for the signal, thereby bouncing it back off of its surface. The signal will continue to reflect within the confines of inner conductor until it reaches the receiving component.

Dedicated to Digital Audio

Digital coaxial cable has only one purpose; to deliver digital audio between components. This is in complete contrast to RF coaxial cable which transmits both video and audio along the same path. As you may suspect, dedicating the entire bandwidth of the cable to sending only digital audio has excellent ramifications for your home theater's sound quality. This practice results in greater signal fidelity between the transmitting device and the receiving component. Greater signal fidelity means that the sound you hear from your home theater speakers will be truer to the way the sound was originally recorded.

Benefits of Digital Coaxial Cables

Digital coaxial cable also has another benefit related to its dedication to digital audio. In the manner that signal transmission usually takes place, the digital signal from the source, a DVD for example, is sent to a digital-to-analog converter (DAC). The signal is converted to analog and sent through the given cable where it reaches the receiving component on the other side. This component uses an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) to reconstruct the digital signal as closely as possible. During this process, errors and variations can be introduced to the signal resulting in audible artifacts and distortions that diminish your home theater's sound quality.

Unlike with other audio cables, digital coaxial cable can transmit digital signals along its length without the need to convert to analog. Digital coaxial cable is capable of by-passing this process and delivers a cleaner signal to your home theater receiver.

Applications of Digital Coaxial Cables

Connections for digital coaxial cables can be found on everything from DVD players to home theater receivers. If it uses digital audio, then chances are there is a manufacturer who has made that component with digital coaxial cables in mind.

Jon Martin is the Webmaster of the Home Theater Accessories Resource. The Home Theater Accessories Resource is your guide to home theater accessories.

This article came from the Connecting Home Theater Components section of the site.

How Do Jay Abrahams Fundamental Truths For Increasing Your Profits And Audio Tie Together Part 1

Writen by L A Parmley

Should I refresh your memory about what Jay Abraham teaches?

One of the fundamental truths according to Mr. Abraham is that a business can only grow in three ways:

1. By increasing the number of customers (we'll refer to this as your marketing strategy).

2. By increasing the product's price (we'll refer to this as... well, your product).

3. By increasing the number of times a customer purchases from you (we'll refer to this as your back-end).

So, what is the connection between multimedia, specifically audio, and maximizing the three ways to grow your business; i.e. your marketing strategy, your product and your back-end?

Just keep reading...

» Audio can be used as a creative marketing strategy. People are sensory creatures. A simple yet effective audio message can help you create a better connection with your prospects. This connection may lead to an increase in your sales conversion rate. That means more money for you.

It's a proven fact people are more likely to remember what they both read and hear. Therefore, an audio message along with your copy will really help deliver a powerful message (and for that matter, so will an appropriate and well positioned video clip).

» Audio will help increase the perceived value of your product. Adding audio mp3 files to your existing ebook (or the one you were planning to write) can easily double the perceived value of your product. Best of all, once you've recorded and uploaded mp3 files to your download page, you are finished. Even better yet, if you sell a tangible information course, adding audio CD's with the package will greatly increase the perceived value of your product.

» Audio can help your back-end sales in two ways. For one, you may offer related products like an audio CD or an mp3 download to your current customers.

And this can be done no matter what type of product you are selling. If it is a tangible item that requires some skill, why not record an instructive guide for how to use it?

You don't even have to write anything at all if you don't want. Simply set-up an interview with someone knowledgeable in your niche and record away. Can you see how your product will create itself for you?

You can also use an audio marketing campaign to help increase your conversion rate for any affiliate products you offer (or should be offering) as a back-end to your customers. Virtually no one records an audio message for affiliate products. No one wants to work that hard! Imagine what could happen if you give it a try?

Want to learn more about audio and other multimedia techniques? Then visit Best Multimedia Tools. Get up to speed with free information and tools sure to knock your prospects socks off!

How To Record Streaming Audio Internet Radio And

Writen by David Deprice

When it comes to music on the Internet, you have two legal choices: you can stream tracks, or you can purchase them as individual downloads.

Replay Music can record streamed songs from most applications, break them into individual files (either as WAV or 128- to 320-Kbps MP3 files) and even tag them with the correct song and artist info. It does this by taking a digital fingerprint of a song and comparing it with the information stored in its central server.

The program works with a variety of streams, including those from Napster, Rhapsody and Musicmatch that require a subscription. Replay also has built-in CD-burning controls, and it can burn CDs or send tracks to iTunes automatically.

With just one click, only Replay Music can record streaming music from these popular services and more:

* Napster™

* Rh------™

* Music M----™

* Y! Music Unlimited™

* Y! Launch ™

* AccuRadio™

(Legal note: Replay Music is not affiliated with any of these services, nor do we encourage violating any license agreements. We offer this list only for compatibility purposes.)

Tags Songs Automatically

Only Replay Music can automatically tag your recorded MP3s. Using proprietary song recognition technology, Replay Music identifies each song after it's recorded, and adds the artist, song title, album and genre information to each MP3 file. Not only can you record, but now you know what you're listening to!

Precise Track Splitting

Replay Music sports the most sophisticated track splitting algorithms on the planet. Besides just recording and tagging, each MP3 file contains the entire song -- no more, no less. Other recording programs may chop off the start or end of the song, or add unwanted noise.

Replay Music
www.deprice.com/replaymusic.htm

David D. Deprice is an expert when it comes to buying software for pennies on the dollar. To learn his dirty little tricks, visit http://www.deprice.com

Why Publishing Mp3 Can Cost You A Fortune

Writen by Louis Allport

This was news to me. It might be news to you too:

MP3 is NOT free to use if you're an online publisher. BUT - let me be clear - there are some opt-outs. It appears you don't have to pay any license fees if:

It's for personal use or non commercial reasons (not generating income). OR - if your company revenue is below $100,000 a year.

Now, these rules might change of course. Make sure to check these yourself and ensure you're up to date by visiting mp3licensing.com for full details.

However, when there's alternatives I don't see why anyone publishing audio online would want to or should publish in MP3 format.

So what's the best alternative? Well - it's all about OGG.

Okay, a slightly strange name. Here are the facts:

OGG is just as high quality as MP3.

OGG is just as quick to download as MP3.

OGG is open source - this means no fees due, ever (for full details on OGG visit vorbis.com).

The only current downside of OGG is that it isn't as widely supported by audio players as MP3.

BUT - I'm convinced this will change. As more and more online publishers say "No!" to paying hefty and unnecessary licensing fees, more and more audio will be published online in OGG format, meaning more and more audio players will support OGG.

So if you're currently publishing audio online in MP3 format, what does this mean for you?

Well, my advice is to convert your audio from MP3 format to OGG format, without delay.

Now I'll admit it can be a little bit time consuming, but once it's done, it's done. And would you rather make a little effort to convert your audio, or pay licensing fees year after year?

So how do you convert MP3 to OGG? Easy - use an audio converter. You'll find a ton of high quality free ones by searching download.com and also sourceforge.net. My personal favorite is WinLAME (awful name, great software) from winlame.sourceforge.net.

So use WinLAME to convert your MP3 to OGG. Pay attention to keeping the MP3 and OGG files around the same size (I've actually found OGG files to be slightly smaller). And then compare the audio quality. I'll be surprised if you can find any difference between them.

Now this conversion process might take a while. For about six hours of audio it took my computer at least a couple of hours of processing time. But I just left the computer to it and came back when it was done. You can even leave this process running overnight if you have a lot of audio to convert.

Now here's an extra snippet you need to pay attention to:

Some OGG audio has "Tags". Tags are extra information inside the audio file which often includes the name of the song for example.

At this time (this will probably change) some audio players have trouble playing OGG with "Tag" information in them. So take the tag information out. It's easy and doesn't affect the audio in any way - here's how you do it:

Download "MP3Tag" from mp3tag.de/en/. Install the software, and start it up. Then just choose to "Remove All Tags" from your OGG files. This process takes literally two minutes but is very important.

Now after you've converted and de-tagged the OGG audio, you'll need to upload it to your server of course.

Then you'll have to change all your download links. This is fiddly, but needs to be done. For example - you would need to change all your links from:

www.domain.com/folder/audio.mp3

To:

www.domain.com/folder/audio.ogg

Then test every download link to make sure it's working correctly.

Important Note: Don't forget about the audio you've got in Zip files too. You'll need to recreate those Zip files with OGG audio instead of MP3 audio and re-upload them.

If you're not sure where all the MP3 and Zip files are on your websites, here's an easy way to list them:

Now, this only works on Unix-based servers (which covers Linux servers, FreeBSD...etc - ask your web host if you're not sure)...

This is pretty advanced so don't do this if you're not comfortable with the process. Or ask your web host to do it for you if they're happy to do that:

You need to Telnet into your server and then type the following:

find . | grep mp3 > allmp3

Then type:

find . | grep zip > allzip

This will then give you two files on your server: allmp3 & allzip

Download these files and take a look at them in a text editor. They'll show you the path of every MP3 and Zip file on your server so that you can quickly and easily find which files you need to convert to OGG. Dead handy.

Okay - so after you've converted and uploaded the audio, you'll need to change the text around the download links. You'll need to take out any mention of "MP3" from your website.

I don't suggest replacing it with "OGG" on a sales page for example since that will probably confuse people. Just replace "MP3" with "downloadable audio" or "high quality downloadable audio".

And then on your download pages mention that the audio is in OGG format which is just as high quality as MP3 and just as quick to download. Then link to a couple of audio players that you know for a fact support OGG.

The audio players I personally mention are Winamp from winamp.com and Quintessential Player from quinnware.com.

Important Note About Winamp: As I write this only the Full version (not the Lite version) of Winamp supports OGG successfully. So make sure to tell your visitors to download and install that version. It's still free though so your visitors won't have to spend any extra money just to listen to your audio.

And that's pretty much all the steps needed to convert your published audio from MP3 to OGG, which can save you a small fortune in licensing fees without compromising audio quality or speed of download.

Louis Allport is the creator of over thirty (and counting) unique and high quality information products selling very successfully online.

He is directly involved with every step of the product creation and marketing process including finding the market, creating the content, building the marketing process and materials, as well as developing consistent and qualified traffic streams.

One of Louis' recent products reveals a proven four-step formula that can make creating best-selling online products a lot more predictable: http://www.createoffers.com/new/

Five Tips To Become A Soundbite Genius

Writen by Susan Harrow

1. Speak in soundbites to everyone.

Getting key phrases for concepts and ideas across clearly is central to all communication. As a fun practice try to shave off any extraneous details during conversation in your everyday life. In Errol Morris' film *Fog of War* former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara said, *Never answer the question that is asked. Answer the question you wish were asked.* Begin to train yourself to speak only what you want others to hear. In this way you'll be shaping other's perception of you-which is the essence of good media.

2. Answer the first interview question with your sermonette.

In a 1989 interview on the NPR show Fresh Air veteran TV journalist David Brinkley said, *Everyone of them [his guests] will arrive in the studio with some little sermonette in mind, and determined to deliver it. So one thing I do is first ask them a dull, boring question like, what do you think about this. And let them deliver their little sermonette. And then we get to the hard core of what we're there to talk about.* Your first and last points have the most impact so plan and deliver your sermonettes no matter what you're asked.

3. Frame your ideas for your audience.

Jennifer O'Neil, a film producer and director, explained that when shooting background footage (b-roll) she uses a technique called *grounding.* To *ground* the camera must end definitively on an object or scene that signals the viewer that that segment is over. I suggested to her that she probably also used the opening footage to *ground* or shape the beginning of how she wanted a viewer to perceive the scene. In this way you orient your audience to the scene or the material you want them to focus on.

You can apply the same concept to soundbites. Your opening words set the stage for what you want to convey, your final words signify the close, how you want your audience to remember what you've told them. Use your opening and closing statements to anchor your audience to the information you want them to grasp. That way you shape the way they think about your product, service or cause.

4. Tell people what to do.

I love mystery, but this isn't the place for it. Don't leave your audience guessing. Be forthright about the action you want them to take by letting them know why your product or service is necessary for them to have a complete and happy life now. What gap does what you have to offer fill? Be direct in pointing this out so there is no doubt.

5. Live your words.

Get to the point with clarity and insight. The Latvian violinist Gidon Kremer said of composer Astor Piazzolla's music, *I don't think it's [the music] always about embellishment. I don't think it all can be expressed rightly just gliding on the surface of convenient rhythms. This music can't be in fact performed, it has to be lived. And I always can distinguish if someone is flirting with Piazzolla as a convenient item of our commercial industry or if someone really lives the life or the heartbeat of the music of this great composer.*

It's the same with you and your soundbites. Are you living the heartbeat of what you're saying, what you're representing? If not, we hear your false notes, your commercial intent. If so, we know in an instant when your music is true.

Learn how to use any interview, any time, on any topic, to get your business, book, product or cause the publicity-and fame you long for in this soundbite teleclass. http://www.prsecrets.com/

Copyright(c) 2004 Susan Harrow. All rights reserved.

You have permission to publish this article in its entirety electronically, in print, in your ebook, or on your web site, free of charge as long as no changes to the content are made and you include my byline, copyright, and resource box. Please notify me of publication by sending an email with a copy of your publication to: mailto:newslettereditor@prsecrets.com. Thanks!

About The Author

Copyright(c) 2004 Susan Harrow. All rights reserved.

Susan Harrow is a top media coach, marketing strategist and author of *Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul* (HarperCollins), *The Ultimate Guide to Getting Booked on Oprah*, and *How You Can Get a 6-Figure Book Advance.* Her clients include Fortune 500 CEOs, millionaires, best-selling authors and successful entrepreneurs who have appeared on Oprah,60 Minutes,NPR, and in TIME,USA Today,Parade, People,O,NY Times,Wall Street Journal,Inc.

prsecrets@publicist.com

What Do You Want Streaming Audio To Do For You

Writen by Douglas Taylor

Streaming audio is one of the most powerful things to come along in this generation. Statistics have shown streaming audio in most cases will help your conversion rate You need to have a clear plan of what audio can do for your website. There are so many ways to use streaming audio almost all of them will help you have a better site.

The first thing you need to do is decide exactly how streaming audio can help you. Here are some of the more common uses for streaming audio on your website.

Music: One of the most obvious ways to use audio on your site is to display your music for the entire world to hear. A local band now has a chance at worldwide fame simply by adding their music to their website.

CD Sales: It is now possible to sell your bands CDs world wide with your music posted in a streaming format.

Get To Be Known: If you are a marketer people hearing your audio files will feel like they know you. This is a major plus when you are trying to get their business.

Testimonials: Audio testimonials are very powerful. They can help you build extreme credibility with your customer.

Increase Sales: Most will agree streaming audio on your website will help increase your sales.

It has never been easier to create streaming audio for your website. Use your imagination for the many uses of streaming audio. Whatever your reason for adding audio you will find it should help your sales grow by leaps and bounds.

Doug Taylor has been creating audio online since 1999. If you think that putting audio files on a website will be a lot of hard work and hassle then download a free 16 page special report Mastering Streaming Audio. Visit http://www.create-streaming-audio.com/csa_ezine.html for streaming audio tips, tricks, shortcuts, and techniques.

Who Else Wants To Explode Their Sales With Streaming Audio

Writen by Linda Joseph

Audio is not new to the Internet. Several marketers have been using it for years and have successfully proven that audio does increase sales. I have read that audio can increase your sales by as much as 300% and some report up to 426% increase in sales.

The reason why most of us haven't utilized this advantage is because of the cost and complexity involved with creating the software. However, as with all new technologies, the price has dropped to the place where you and I can easily afford this tool.

I have successfully and easily added audio to my web sites and my online auctions by two methods. The easiest way is to utilize a service. You can actually do this with no equipment. The service allows you to record your voice by calling a phone number and they will record your message for you. At their site you can easily pick the style and color of the play, pause, and stop buttons that will appear on your website or auction. (Please note there is usually an additional fee for using their phone recording system.)

You can record yourself via your computer microphone. This method is free. You can also upload pre-recorded MP3 files. After picking your buttons, the service will generate the HTML code you upload to your web page. (If you don't know how to do this, you can hire someone to perform this service for you. I would strongly recommend that you learn enough HTML so that you implement small changes to your website yourself.)

As you can see, this is a simple process. You will pay a monthly fee for this service and they will store the audio files on their servers.

The second method of adding audio to the Internet is by purchasing a software package that you install on your computer. (You just right click, download and install.) When you are ready to record your message, you open the software and record through your computer microphone. The software will record your voice, encode your message, give you options for the style and color of your buttons and provide the HTML for your web site.

Wait a minute! How is this different than the service you pay a monthly charge for? Your software will install the message on your hard drive which you will upload to your server. The audio service allows you to record and keep the audio message on their server. With both the audio service and the audio software you have to upload the HTML code for the buttons.

Basically, there is little difference. They both give you button options. They both provide HTML. The advantage of doing this yourself is that you have only a one time charge. The disadvantage is you are responsible for uploading and storing your audio file. The audio file will take a little extra server space. (Unless you are recording hours of audio, this should not be a problem.) The service has the advantage of storing your audio files for you and the disadvantage of a monthly charge.

I strongly encourage you to seriously consider increasing your sales through audio. Use a short audio clip to introduce yourself. Give a brief introduction to your product and maybe highlight a key benefit. Use this on your auction to differentiate yourself. The possibilities are endless!

Linda Joseph is an Internet entrepreneur who has several web sites to help those new to the Internet who want to start their own business. Go to http://www.webtechtips.com for a free video tutorial on adding audio to your website. You can also email at Linda@WebTechTips.com for help determining which audio option is best for you.

Exponentially Grow Your Business Sharing What You Know Using Eight Types Of Audio Programs

Writen by Coco Fossland

If you are a solo-entrepreneur or small business owner that provides expert services to your market, and you're not harnessing the value and impact of offering audio programs, you are missing out on the opportunity to exponentially expand your business.

Unlike the services you provide to clients, which are offered one-on-one, audio programs can be packaged and delivered to large numbers of people as a passive-revenue product.

So, you may be wondering, what exactly are Audio Programs and Products?? And what would be the be benefit of producing them?

Here are 8 Types of Audio Programs that you can use to expand your impact and profits.

1. Teleclasses/teleseminars - These are courses that take place over a telephone bridge line. Multiple people call into a conference line and a facilitator leads a learning experience to the group.

What' the benefit? In this format, the teleclass leader can provide value-added services, not to just one person, but to many.

2. Live seminars - Give yourself expanded exposure by offering your expertise in a live seminar to large groups of people. Because it's live, and not over the phone, your ability to make connection, give support and deliver added impact is dramatically increased.

What's the benefit? There's no better way to build your platform as an expert. People who effectively deliver their programs in a live setting repeatedly report being able to increase their consulting and coaching fees.

3. Digitally Recorded Programs - If you're giving teleclasses or live seminars, but not converting them into recorded audio products, you are missing out -- not only on lost revenue, but on lost opportunity to help a larger audience!

What's the benefit? By recording a teleclass and re-packaging it into a digital product that can be accessed immediately on the web day or night by web surfers -- you provide a way to grow your business and your impact while you sleep.

4. Audio CD Programs - Once you've recorded a program and made it available on the web for instant download, why not kick it up a notch and offer it as a CD program, just like the Tony Robbins?

What's the benefit? Not only can you expand your reach to book stores and other physical outlets, you also build your image as an expert. Also, if you're giving some kind of live speech, keynote, or seminar, Audio CD's are a great product to sell at the back of the room.

5. Recorded Interviews - Maybe there's an expert out there that has information you'd like to share with your audience. A great way to disseminate information is to interview the expert on a specific topic. And as you interview them, record it, and then repackage it as a stand-alone audio program.

What's the benefit? You get to provide needed information to your audience without becoming an expert yourself. Also, the more you can partner with others, the better your exposure. Because both of you will be promoting the product, you will receive increased exposure to a larger audience.

6. Home Study Programs - Blend together the very best of what you have to offer -- recorded content, worksheets, learning guides, eBooks, video, assessments, or other materials into a multi-media program that surrounds a customer with support without your physical time, energy, or presence required.

What's the benefit? Home Study programs offer an excellent way for your audience to receive incredibly high value without spending nearly as much as they would working with you one-on-one. Not only can you build your expertise and help people at a lower price-range, a well-build Home Study Program can become a funnel for people ready and willing to pay your higher one-on-one fees.

7. Meditation/Visualization Audio Programs - If you lead meditation groups, teach yoga, or use inner visualizations with clients, why not make these experiences available to a larger audience? These could be offered digitally for download, or they could be packaged as Audio CD's.

What's the benefit? Imagine your audience being able to tap into the sound of your voice and connect to their higher wisdom whenever they choose. Without leaving the conveniece of their home, your audience can experience inner awareness and discovery... and meanwhile, you can supplement your income.

8. Hypnotherapy audio programs - If you are a hypnotherapist trapped in the continuous rat-race of trying to effectively attract new clients, offering recorded audio programs is a great way to expand your reach and land new clients. It could be a "Stop Smoking" maintenance program for people who have already come in for a session with you, or it could be a whole "Loose Weight Now" system that doesn't even require your physical presence.

What's the benefit? Stronger, lasting results your clients will boast about to their friends and a great way to supplement your income.

Copyright 2005 Coco Fossland

About Coco Fossland

The author of the forthcoming book, The Power of Trust: Trust Yourself, Transform Your World, Coco Fossland is a nationally recognized expert in personal transformation, self-empowerment and self-healing. Blending a decade of technology and strategy consulting with her expertise in self-trust transformation, Coco's business is focused on supporting people passionate about creating businesses that make a difference in the world. She helps her clients fuse their higher path with their businesses, creating institutions and organizations that profoundly impact the world one person at a time.

http://www.cocofossland.com

Discover How Your Voice Can Increase Your Website Profits 500

Writen by John Macko

Are you reaching your customers personally and generating sales and repeat customers as a result? No matter how good your web graphics are, or how interesting your sales copy is, nothing can compare to hearing a real voice while looking at the photo of the person speaking to you.

In the world of online marketing, credibility is key to getting customers to buy. Most people are hesitant to pay for services or products from a nameless person they don't know, and whose voice they've never heard. When you add your voice to your web site, your customers can connect with you on a more personal level and overcome one of the biggest barriers to buying online. This will always have the advantage over "cold" marketing techniques such as static pictures and text.

If you thought that recording audio files for your site has to be difficult, expensive or involves monthly fees, think again. You need to read the information below, because it could change the way you market online forever.

If your site doesn't have audio, it's going to be outdated soon. Maxtor Corporation and TrendFocus recently did a study of why the demand for larger hard-drives in computers is increasing at unheard of rates in recent years. The biggest factor? People want space for audio and video files, and computers that can hear them. People are looking for increased media when they go online-and computer sales trends are reflecting this.

They also predicted that while most web sites today use text and graphics, consumer trends are showing that in the very near future, online shopping will be propelled by increasing amounts of audio and visual features. The ecommerce and marketing site that fails to offer these features to an increasingly multi-media hungry audience will be left behind.

Source: study results published at Dell.com at http://www.dell.com/us/en/biz/topics/vectors_1999-hdd.htm.

What if I told you that there was a method of causing your online sales to skyrocket? One that can reach your customers in a powerful way that no ordinary text web page can? That's simple to use and highly affordable? Would you be interested? Of course you would

Adding a voice introduction and or description is the future of doing business online. In fact, the response has will so incredible, discovered how placing audio files on our web sites allows you to connect with your site visitors in a way that no other method can and saw our sales go up.

I used to think that putting audio files on a web site would be a lot of work and hassle, and didn't want to bother with it. Not anymore and it is incredibly easy to do, (you just click and paste a code created for you by your favorite program onto your web site)and in just minutes, you have a working, quality audio web file! It's easy for your visitors, too. They just push the play button and they can hear your message or you can have it start automatically as soon as the arrive at your site.

Imagine what could happen to your own sales if you could talk to your site visitors?

Just think what would happen if your sales started going up by 3%...5%...10%...what could happen to your income if you could personally greet your customers when they visit your web site.

To understand why audio works so well in making sales, think back to the last time you bought a product or a service. In many cases, you connected personally to the person making the sale, especially for items that cost a bit more. This sense of relating is key to making a sale, this personal touch on your web site can make you realize a hugh increase in conversion and profits.

Start today and take advatage of this remarkable way of increasing your business without monthly fees, just a few clicks of your mouse and about 5 minutes of your time, you too can be reaping the benefits while maximizing effectiveness of all your site has to offer your visitors.

I do it on all pages on my site, you can visit my site in the resource box to hear an example if you wish.

John Macko provides valuable Internet marketing information and resources which can be found at http://pay-alot-less.com/wap"